Sheet-folding machine.



v A. & H. G; MUTSGHLER.

SHEET FOLDING MACHINE. APPLICATION rum) JUNE 1o 190s.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Mumford, I

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

4 EHEETS-SHBET 2.

A. & H. G. MUTSOHLER. SHEET FOLDING'MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. 1908. 966,760.

IXJHSM eases A.'& H. G. MUTSGHIQER SHEET FOLDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE-10, 190s;

Patented Aug 9,- 1910.

BEETS-SHEET 4.

hvomtow 11 i in use:

ArENT OFFICE. p

ALBERT MUTSCHLER AND HENRY G. MUTSCHLER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

SHEET-FOLDING MACHTNE.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

Application filed June 10, 1908. Serial No. 437,657.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Ammn'r Mu'rsonnnu and lln-Nin' G. MU'rsonmm, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Folding Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the -tions of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, .the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a machine for folding cloth constructed in accordance with this invention; Figs. 2. and 3 are respectively a rear and a side perspeetim view of the same ma chine; Figs. 4- to S are detail views of a pair of guide and feed rollers which reciprocate to carry the material back and forth over a support which receives the transversely folded material; and Fig. 9 is a detail view of the support above mentioned.

The invention herein embodied in a cloth folding machine as all large tailoring establishments and cloth manufacturers desire that. cloth which comes from the mill in a roll be first folded longitudinally and then transversely alternately in opposite directions in order that it may he easilyhan died.

The roll of cloth 1 is usually provided with a spindle 2 and this spindle is supported preferably on brackets 3 having open hearings to receive the projecting ends. The brackets may be mounted on a carriage 4 movable in a direction of the axis of the spindle transverse to the length of the cloth, and the carriage may be provided with Wheels 5 which travel on tracks or guides (3 formed on the frame of the machine. The movement of the carriage in this instance is efi'ected by a hand wheel 8 which is journaled on the carriage and operates a pinion 9 that gears with the rack 10 on the main frame.

- in the cloth.

the longitudinal folding mechanism. This mechanism is in this instance arranged above the roll and preferably comprises a frame arranged at an inclination and having converging guides 6* on opposite sides and an anti-friction roller 7 at the upper end of the guides, the sheet passing upwardly from the roll 1 over a roller 11 if desired to roller 7 and thence downwardly on the guide frame which owing to its gradually decreasing Width causesthe cloth to drop on opposite sides thereof and produce a; longituc linal fold, the extreme endof the frame being pointed to produce a bend Should the cloth drop onone side more than the other the carriage 4 is shifted to move the roll 4 the required distance axially in order to produce an even fold.

The folder frame is preferably mounted so that it may have its inclination changed in order to increase or decrease the friction on the sheet as it passes over the folder. In this instance, it is pivotally supported near its lower end at 12 on arms 13 while its upper end has upright rods 14 pivoted thereto at 15 and adjustably secured at 16 to the main frame of the machine, a band brake 1-0 or other retard ng device being employed if desired to act on roller 7 to prevent the latter rotating too freely.

The longitudinal folding mechanism preferab v delithis the cloth to a pair of rollers 17's nged on the main frame in a hor1- zontal position so that they extend transversely of the cloth, these rollers; serving to crease the cloth at the longitiidinal fold and to hold the two sections together in orderv that. they may be folded transversely. The cloth preferably is now folded transversely alternately in opposite directions so that a bundle is formed, arranged in layers. This arrangement permits the tailor to rest the bundle on a table andto takefrom thelower ends by a guide preferably in the form of a pair of rollers 20 which hold the cloth against unfolding longitudinally,

One of the rollers 20 is movable away from the other, but is normally held toward the latter by springs 46 which bear on laterally movable sleeves 47 in which the shat't of the roller l'llI'llS,-t.llil tension on the springs them.

48 being adjusted by screws 49. This arrangement." permits the rollers to separate without injury to the cloth or the, rollers whenever a hard substance"passesbetween manually operable devices which may consist of cams 50, pivoted at each end of the movable roller 20 and adapted to cooperate therewith to move the same.

If desired, these "guiderollers may'be" R a sprocket that is jouri'laled on stub shaft or pivot 19 of one of the arms 18 (see Fig. 2). This sprocket 25 turns wlth a sprocket 26 which, by a chain 27, is connected to a sprocket 23 that turns with a gear 2.) driven from a pinion 2!) on a sleeve 29 that surrounds spindle 30, the sleeve being driven i in any suitable manner as by a pulley 31, or by a crank arm 32 contacted by sprocket chain32 with sleeve 29" to manually operate .th machine.

The reciprocation or oscillation of the transverse folder may be etYec-tcd in any suitable manner. In this instance. a pair of links or pitmeu 35 are each pivoted at. one end to an arm 18 and at the other end to a crank arm 36. ioth crank arms 3; are coni'io dcd to a shaft 37 on which gear 2!) and sprocket 28 are secured, thus connecting this mechanism with pullcy'fll. I

A suitable means may be provided For changing the lengths of thc rcciprocations of the transverse folder. and this may be easily accon'iplished, in this instance, by adjusting the links on their crank arms 36 towardand from the axis of the latter,- the crank arinhaving for this purpose a series of openings-"l9 in any one of which the pivot 7 pins 3!) are adapted to be fitted. With the changing of the throw of the oscillatory frame the speed of the guide rollers 20 must changed andthls may be cll'ccted (see Figs. t} t.o.8). by providing ad ustable roller carriers 41 at the lower ends of the swinging l nksprrarms '16. n order that the pnnons 21. n iay, be moved toward and from the gear 22 .which is rcmovable to permit gears of other sizes to be used... g.hetwcen,tlle ca riers and the arms. 18, may

The adj ustablc connection or pins M on the" arms fbifl' open1ngs45 on 'the' carrie H They may also be separated by be in the form of bolts .42 on the carriers Working in slots 43 on the arms, projections 'insertible in fold the latter in adjusted position.

The cloth is delivered to a support 51 which preferably moves gradually away I from""thefolder as the 'foldingoperation! progresses or as the size of the bundle increases. In this instance,the support moves on vertical guides 52 o 'I-theframe and is driven by a mechanism comprising prefer ably a pair of vertical screws turning in 'nuts'54 on the support and rotated simultaneously by a horizontal; shaft 55which is driven by a shaft 56 disposed transversely to the same. The shaft 56 is connected by a sprocket cliain57 with i -sameness which has a clutch connection with 'a' sprocket 60 that is connected by 'afchain tilfto the moved with the folder. A crank arm 57 may beconnected to sprocket 57 in order to .85 shaft 3.7 in order that the support maybe" operate the support independently of 1 the folding mechanism whenthe clutch is moved to one positlon.

The length of the cloth maybe measured by gearing to'the rollers 20 a counting mechanism X of any suitable construction. This counting mechanism registers-oneyard after a certain mn'nber rollers.

suchfas an arch 62 on which the cloth is (lGPOSllQtllIl order to cause the tops of the bundleto betlat, it being apparent that if to permit it to be removed with the bundle.

Means may also be provided for-creasing the cloth at the transverse folds. The creasers are in this instance in the form of wipers rotatably mounted on the frame of the machine above the ends of the bundle and preferably comprising Ushapcd members (it jourmrled at their ends on the mainframe and each having a sprocket, (34 at. one end. The s 'n'ockets are located on opposite sides of the main frame andare connected to Sj'll'OCltOlS (35 by chains (36 which between the sprockets pass over idlcrs 7 to deflect the chains out of the path of the transverse folder. ()ne of the sprockets 65 turns with the gear 2!) while the other turns with a gear (38 that meshes with gear 9 on shaft; 37.

The operation will be understood from the foregoing description and itwill be necessary only to give a gcncral statement of this point. (lloth from roll '1 is carried upward to the longitudinal folder andthen passes downwardly through creasingrolls 17 to the oscillatory Frame which carries the cloth of revolutionsof the The support may have an elevated portion back and forth causing it to alternately fold in poslte directions on the support 51.

- WlllCl moves away from the oscillatory frame as the size of the bundle increases. The wipers 63 alternately act on opposite ends of the bundleimmediately in advance of the approach of the guide rollers.

A machine constructed in accordance with this invention will economically fold cloth in a condition which will make handling of the cloth easy. It is simple in operationand inex ensive to manufacture and it permits the c oth to be ins ected while traveling over the inclined longitudinal folder.

What we claim is:

1. In a folding mechanism, the combination with a swinging frame, of a suitably driven sprocket turning-about an axis coincident with the turning axis of the swinging frame, a sprocket mounted near the free end of the swinging frame, a sprocket chain connecting the sprockets, a detachable gear driven by the second named sprocket wheel, adjustable carriers on the swm ingframe, a pair of rollers on the latter, an intermeshing gears on the rollers one of which meshes with the removable gear.

2. The combination with a suport, of a swinging frame, adjustable rol er carriers on the frame, rollers on said carriers delivering a sheet to the support, intermeshing pinions on the rollers, and mechanism for opcrating the rollers embodying a removable gear adapted to mesh with one of the pinions.

3. In a mechanism for folding sheet material alternately in opposite directions, the

j combination with a reciprocatory frame, of

a pair of rollers carried thereby, one of which is movable toward and from the other, resilient means moving said roller toward the other, andmanually operable means for moving said roller away from the other.

4. The combination with a support, of mechanism for folding sheet material alternately in opposite directions on the support,

.and a pair of devices rotatable in opposite directions in complete circles to en age the folds at opposite ends of the bundle thus formed. 7

5. The combination with a support, of mechanism for folding sheet material alternately in opposite directions on'the support, and a pair of U shaped members rotatable in opposite directions in complete circles and alternately engaging the material at the folds at opposite ends of the bundle.

6. The combination with a frame and a support guided vertically on the frame, of mechanism for folding sheet material alternately in opposite directions, mechanism for moving the support away from the folding mechanism as the folded bundle increases in size, and wipers carried by the frame, rotatable in opposite directions in complete circles and alternately enga ing the material at the folds at opposite en. s of the bundle. I 

